


Semper Fi

by Wishme



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Military, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2013-04-14
Updated: 2013-04-14
Packaged: 2017-12-08 12:41:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,538
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/761414
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wishme/pseuds/Wishme
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Dean Winchester is coming home after 15 months on tour. He's in love with his best friend and doesn't know what to do.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Semper Fi

 

He’d been gone fifteen months. Well, fifteen months, two days and thirty six hours by the time his plane touched down in Kansas City. Dean fidgeted with the name stripe on his fatigues as the plane taxied to the gate, aware enough to notice, nervous enough not to care, palms slick with sweat. He mostly didn’t notice the looks he got in airports any more, the civilian reaction to a solider among them. He smiled nicely when they thanked him for his service, tucked the shy smiles kids sent his way to his breast, but he never quite got comfortable with the attention. A high school dropout with more attitude than sense, never mind his commendations from his superiors for his tours served or the way the engineers on base looked at each other knowingly when he peppered them with questions, Dean knew he didn’t deserve the attention, but accepted it graciously on behalf of all his comrades in arms. The captain of the plane saluted him as he exited the plane, and Dean slung his bag over his shoulder, feet eating up the jetway, finding himself staring at his pack on the belt in baggage claim. He watched it circle a few times, his back to the wall, alert even here.

 

He could feel the conversations around him- kisses pressed to cheeks, hands brushing across one another, laughter. Dean moved off to the side, watching as baggage claim emptied out, leaving him alone in the terminal. Only then did he swing his pack up from the carousel and make his way towards the exit. He sat on a bench outside the terminal for a while, contemplating his pack and watching the cars go by. Not that he was waiting for anyone. He hadn’t told them he was coming home—didn’t want to jinx it. And now that he was almost there he didn’t know what to do. So he called Benny.

 

“Hey there, brother.” Benny sidled up to Dean and clasped his hand, a huge smile on his face. “Glad to have you back.”

 

They didn’t say much to each other beyond a few pleasantries on the way back to base. Benny’s unit was stationed at Fort Riley until they shipped out again, whenever that would be. Their friendship had been borne in silence, necessary when going dark for an op, and they never really had to say much to communicate. And Dean seriously didn’t want to talk. They got Dean installed on base in the temporary housing and Benny left Dean to handle the rest.

 

Five days later found Dean in a grimy tee, heading back to his room after a day spent bugging the engineers about an engine build and being relegated to cleaning stock or checking the resident project car. Bobby, the head of the shop, had finally kicked Dean out long after everyone else had left with a  “We don’t pay you to be here. Go home,” the gruffness of his voice tempered by the half-grin on his face. Dean had told Bobby about his acceptance to University of Kansas earlier that day and the older man hadn’t stopped smiling at him. It was unnerving.  Dean could barely wrap his head around the idea himself, him the kid with a GED and a give ‘em hell attitude, an engineering student. He was so distracted he almost didn’t see the dark figure barreling towards him.

 

“Dean Jonathan Winchester, I am going to kill you.”

\---

 

Dean’s heart lept into his throat. This was not good.

“Hey, Cas,” he choked.

“ _Hey Cas?_ You asshole. You’ve been back for five days and I had to find out from fucking _Lisa_ who saw you in baggage claim? Do you have any idea how insulting that is? Do you know how _worried_ your mother is? You missed your weekly phone call with her on Sunday. You know, the one that reminds your family _that you’re still alive_ because you’re in a _fucking combat zone_? Except apparently you’re not at all. You’re here in fucking _Kansas_ while Sam is scared you’re  ‘dead in a desert with a camel eating his head’ and your father slowly pickles his liver and your mother obsessively bakes pies. Do you know how many pies I’ve had to foist off on my staff this week? Eleven.  Eleven, Dean. Do you  _know_ what pies do to library books? Sticky pages, Dean,  _Sticky._ Pages. This is just unacceptable. You have been gone over a _year_ , Dean. You could be dead." 

Dean lifted his hands up and opened his mouth to explain, but Cas bat them away, fisting his hand in Dean’s shirt.

 

“No, you don’t get to speak yet. I am not done.,” Cas spat furiously, “I don’t know who the fuck you think you are Dean, but you don’t pull this shit with _family_. You are going to call your mother right now and you’re going to make her cry and you’re going to feel _terrible_ about it and then you are going to buy me a really nice dinner because I’m an _amazing_ best friend and not going to tell her that you’ve been back a week without telling her.”

 

Without letting go of his grip on Dean's shirt, Cas reached down to fumble in his pocket for his cell phone. That’s when Dean realized his friend’s hands were shaking, the slender hand in his shirt vibrating against his too-quickly beating heart. Dean smiled with the left part of his mouth, remembering exactly when he realized he was in love with his best friend. They'd been on an op outside of Kabul, radio just gone dark, in the space where their eyes adjusted to the night goggles. Before every op he’d gotten into the habit of sending a thought into the universe (it sounded less pansy than a prayer) to keep his family safe, but this time he’d added “and let me see Cas again. Just once, please,” and that was when he knew that was it. He could almost hear the pieces click into place and it had been less of a surprise than he would have thought. He’d waited eight months to see his friend again and was fucking terrified. He hated to admit it, but seeing Cas as wrecked as Dean felt made it easier.

 

“Cas,” Dean murmured softly to the still mumbling man, covering the hand in his shirt with his own. “Hey, Cas.”

 

Cas stilled, frozen entirely, his head tilted down towards his phone. Dean exhaled, placing his other hand under the man’s chin, forcing his head up. The tears tracking down Cas’ face slammed into Dean and he reached down to cup his friend’s face, “ _Cas.”_

 

He other man closed his eyes, forcing his mouth into a firm line and Dean leaned in, pressing his lips to his friends’. Dean stayed there for a few heartbeats, Cas still motioneless under his lips, before, suddenly, Cas leaned heavily into his chest, kissing him back furiously. Cas' hand twisted even further into Dean's shirt, anchoring the both of them together, as if he was afraid Dean would suddenly disappear. The ball of tension in Dean’s gut that had been sitting there for seven months and two weeks (ever since he realized Cas might not feel the same about him, it’s not like they ever talked about it) disappeared as his best friend’s mouth opened up beneath his, licking into his own, impossibly warm. If he noticed that they’re both crying a bit, he didn’t say anything.

 

A loud whistle shocked them back to the present, breath ragged, pupils blown. Dean looked up to see Benny, Gabe and Balthazar crossing the street street, stupid grins on their faces.  Gabe came up to ruffle Cas’ hair and mock-glare at Dean, “You hurt my baby brother and I will make sure that the next machine you work on isn’t secured properly,” earning him a goddamn _growl_ from Cas, before he chuckled and stepped back, far too pleased with himself.  Balthazar just clapped Cas on the shoulder with a sardonic “Good luck” which could have been aimed at either of the two who still weren’t quite looking at each other.  Benny looked between the two of them, a soft smile ghosted across his face. He reached out and laid his hand on Cas' shoulder with a “Good to meet you, Brother. He’s missed you,” before turning to Dean and saying “You’re already signed out of the room. Go home.”

 

Dean groaned, letting his forehead fall against Cas’ shoulder “I hate you guys. Go away.”

 

Laughing, the trio sauntered back the way they came. If money was passed to Gabe from the other two, Dean decided not to notice. Which left him and Cas alone again. On the military base. With a few things to talk about. Dean lifted his head to look at Cas, panicking slightly—what if he had just fucked absolutely everything up? Cas met his gaze impassively.

 

“We’re not done. And you’re still in trouble,” he paused, lips lifting into a smirk, “I just might take my time killing you.”

 

Dean would have been lying if he said he wasn’t looking forward to that a little and let Cas take him home. 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Un-beta'd so any mistakes are mine own


End file.
